The Dragon Rising
by 16FangsofWrath
Summary: Sequel to Ichigo's Mistake. While Ichigo trains to able to meet the Arrancarr, Tatsuki trains in secret in order to fight along side him. On hiatus again, I'm so sorry guys!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN BLEACH!!!! If Tite Kubo wishes this taken down it shall be done.**

**A/N: This is a sequel to Ichigo's Mistake. It takes place three weeks after Ichigo confesses to Tatsuki. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get at least four chapters out of this story so concrit and reviews are welcome. This is a TatsuIchi fic, so IchiRu and IchiHime fans please forgive me and please read this anyway. As always thanks go out to those who've shown support and given great advice on first two stories: MiraResQNU and Platinumsabr(you guys gave me some great tips and a lot of love thanks!), Angst the Tormentor, ArtsyGirl613 and anyone I forgot. PM anytime to discuss story ideas or just to shoot the breeze. And now I give you........**

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**The Dragon Rising**

"You're distracted, Ichigo." Urahara remarked as Benihime flicked around Zangetsu and sliced shallowly into the orange-haired Vizard's forearm.

Ichigo didn't reply. The ex-captain had a point after all. Of course he had a good reason to be distracted, Tatsuki, his newly found girlfriend kept cropping up in his head at the most inconvienant times. Like now for instance. He still couldn't wrap his head around Tatsuki and the word girlfriend applied to one another. Shaking his head, he angled Zangetsu and countered, striking out at Urahara's head and spliting his ever present hat down the middle.

"Well, that wasn't very nice. I believe you've killed my hat,_ again._ And after I agreed to help you train too. That's getting a little personal, don'tcha think?"

"Sorry Hat-and-Clogs, my mind's just not here with us right now."

"When is it ever?"

"What was that?!"

"Nothing. Why don't you just go to her if she keeps you from focusing? We've been at it for the last twelve days. Ever since the Soul Society sent word that Aizen seems to be moving." Ichigo noticed that the normally irrepressable Urahara was serious for once.

"No," came the Vizard's reply,"I need this. I'll have time to see Tatsuki soon enough. Now let's go! Give me all you got Hat-and Clogs!"

Together-"Ban Kai!!"

Pulling his Hollow mask down, Ichigo charged at his mentor/training partner, black reiatsu trailing behind him......

_**Elsewhere..........**_

Breathing heavily, Tatsuki stood up and glanced around the "training room" that Urahara-san had provided. It was like the underground room beneath his shop, but temporary. Infact, she only had three more days until it vanished. She _had_ to get stronger.

_Flash...._

_"Promise me something then..."_

_"Anything..."_

_"Promise you'll come back to me."_

_"I'll always come back to you."_

_Flash........_

At the time, those words had been enough for her, but then the message from the Soul Society had come and the already limited time she and Ichigo had together was cut down to a few stolen kisses during the hours they were at school, and now that they were training, to nothing at all. She was not gonna be left behind to wonder and worry if Ichigo could keep his promise.

"All right Sado-san, again."

"Are you sure Arisawa-san? That last shot was pretty intense.." Chad had plenty of reason to worry. This training was being kept from Ichigo and to make it worse he had already had to take Tatsuki to Orihime for severe injuries four times. Not an easy thing to hide with Orihime's personality to deal with. She had wanted to tell Tatsuki about everything from the begining and after all Ichigo had done for her, convincing her to keep quiet about the training and injuries had been quite a feat.

"Let's do it." As Tatsuki focused her reiatsu, the wing patterns on her arms and legs began to glow a silvery blue. Chad charged, his arm pulled back to strike, when suddenly Tatsuki just wasn't _there_ anymore.

"Up here!" Tatsuki's body rotated as she performed a round house kick in mid-air above Chad. A glowing blade of pure spirit energy slammed into Chad's upraised arm, forcing the tall man back twelve feet.

"Good, Arisaw-" Another blade cut off his remark as he dodged it. _"Better keep my mind on what I'm doing."_

Chad stood and, pouring on every ounce of speed he possesed, charged Tatsuki. Five feet from her, he released a massive blast of reiatsu. The resulting explosion scattered dust and rubble in all directions. When it cleared however, a changed Tatsuki was revealed.

Her hands, supporting a shimmering, blue spirit shield, were encased in silver clawed gauntlets, her legs enclosed in greaves of the same metal. Sprouting from her shoulder-blades were two semi-transparent wings. Her eyes glowed a brilliant azure.

"What're you waitin' for, Sado-san?"

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That's right it ends on a cliff-hanger! I gotta work tomorrow. Sorry it's so short more soon! The next chapter will be up as soon as possible, promise.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**For those of you out there who were truly patient with me, I do apologize. I've tried on four separate occasions to continue this story and all four times my draft has been destroyed so I'm assuming a higher power doesn't want it finished. I'm not saying its dead I'm saying its on indefinite hiatus. I will probably pick it up one day. Again I apologize to anyone who really cared to see it finished. I'm currently enamored with another Bleach couple which is most likely a contributing factor in my inability to continue The Dragon Rising. Please don't give up on me and please continue to read my stories. Sorry, sorry, sorry guys! **

**Sincerely yours,**

**16fangs**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well it seems my muse has in fact returned. About, oh maybe four hours after my apology, the idea for this chapter hit me. Now it's built on the ideas of my FOUR previous attempts at writing this damn thing. Barring another act of God this will be up soon. Thanks shadowgouf and Kiki for reviewing and being so understanding as well as encouraging me to continue. You guys rock and this chapter (and any following) are for you (and therefore your fault :P). **

**Chapter 2**

"Well, what're you waitin' for, Sado-san?"

The tall man continued to stare at Tatsuki's transformation, quite shocked. She shrugged and let her shield drop, striking out with her clawed gauntlets. The dark skinned warrior leaped back a few feet, still staring but no longer shocked to stillness. Tatsuki's glowing azure eyes seem to twinkle in amusement.

"What was it you said the first time I saw your arm? Oh yeah, don't get distracted Sado-san. Otherwise you might get hurt."

Chad's only response was another reiatsu blast, forcing Tatsuki into the air**.** She quickly rotated, her body reacting instinctively to her new found power, and unleashed four blades of spirit energy in Chad's direction. Though he had dodged her attack, Tatsuki felt exhilarated. She was forcing him to back down, to back away. She was fighting on his level now. At the beginning he had beaten her with frightening ease, her power still unformed. With Urahara's "mobile training ground" they had forced her dormant power to manifest, first as a light silver pattern across her arms and legs and now into full blown armor. She landed lightly, sidestepping another of Chad's blasts, and then grinning manically, charged the giant of a man, channeling her reiatsu into the tips of her clawed fingers. Chad met her rush head on and the resulting explosion leveled the rocky environment around them. Bleeding, Chad stepped back measuring his opponent.

"Guess there's no more need to hold back Arisawa-san…"

Summoning the full might of his reiatsu, Chad's right arm morphed into its shield like form, his left becoming sheathed in white armor. Tatsuki pretended to pout for a moment then grinned.

"I thought you were holdin' out on me Sado-san!"

Chad didn't answer, he vanished.

"Wha-"

Tatsuki was suddenly hurtling through the air as Chad hit her from behind. Tatsuki rolled to the left as she landed and sprung to her feet. Looking back at Chad she felt the huge reiatsu flowing off of him and felt a new respect for his power. Always up for a challenge she charged again, running full speed. This time when he moved she caught it, flaring out her wings at the last second, Tatsuki was jolted into the air as Chad unleashed yet another blast where she had been merely seconds before. Not wasting anytime, she unleashed a reiatsu blade, putting all the force she could muster behind it. It hit empty air, the training room floor and nothing else. Then all the air was blasted from Tatsuki's lungs as Chad's fist connected with her gut. She sank slowly to the ground, her reiatsu empowered wings buoying her.

"Arisawa-san, are you alright?"

"I'm… fine...Sado-san."

"I'm sorry, you seemed to be doing so well and we only have a few more days. I thought it would be best to push you to the limit, to make you as strong as possible…."

"I said I'm okay, and you're right. Let's do this. I wanna train to the last second. I wanna match your speed at least Sado-san."

_**Three days later...**_

Tatsuki and Chad halted in mid-strike as a voice chimed through the training area.

"Thank you for using Urahara's mobile training unit, as always we appreciate feedback from our customers, please feel free to address any complaints you have to our human resources officer, Tessai. Thank you and have a great day!"

With that the underground room vanished, leaving the two teens standing alone under the Karakura Bridge.

"Well, well. I thought if I hung around here long enough I'd find out who was giving off such a delicious scent. I think I'll enjoy devouring you souls very much!"

Chad and Tatsuki spun around to find their unseen enemy. A tall, thin man stepped from the shadows of the underside of the bridge, his eyes glowing an ominous yellow.

"Sado-san, is that one of them? The arrancar?"

Chad nodded his assent. "It's not as powerful as the ones we fought in Hueco Mundo."

"Says the ignorant human. You think Aizen-sama would have sent me to assassinate you if I were weak, Sado Yastora-san? I was merely suppressing my power."

Chad's face went blank in shock, his eyes widening.

"Yes, I know who you are ryoka. And Aizen-sama wants you dead almost as much as that bastard Kurosaki."

Tatsuki's arms and legs suddenly manifested the silvery-blue wing patterns that were the only indication of the first stage of her power. Anger burned in her eyes. This was one of those filthy things that had stolen Orihime, that had nearly killed Ichigo, Sado-san, Ishida-san and the others who had gone to rescue her, and here it was intruding on their lives yet again, threatening them, threatening _**her**_ Ichigo as well as her teacher.

"Screw you!"

Tatsuki launched herself at the arrancar and slammed her fist into the side of his head, knocking him to the ground.

"You pathetic, little bitch! How dare you even touch me?" The arrancar's whisper was full of malice.

"Sado-san let me handle this one."

"But Arisawa-san…"

"I've got this, trust me." The rage barely contained in her voice was what convinced Chad to step aside, but he held himself ready to step in if she needed help.

The arrancar charged, launching a complex series of kicks at Tatsuki, each reinforced by the terrible reiatsu of a hollow. The blows forced Tatsuki back and back, she calmly blocked every one of them, though the rage inside her cried out to be released. She held back gauging her opponent's strength. The arrancar backed off and then charged, aiming a full roundhouse kick trailing black reiatsu at Tatsuki's head. She dodged and slammed her own reiatsu enhanced fist into his chest knocking him into the air. Before the monster could react, Tatsuki was in the air above him, kicking him in his back, slamming him back to the earth with a resounding crash.

The dust cloud from the impact partially obscured the demon from Tatsuki and Chad. The two warriors tensed, waiting for the next attack to come.

"Hahahahahaha!" The arrancar's maniacal laughter sent chills down the ryokas' spines. A dark, hate-filled reiatsu permeated the air around them. Their enemy drew his zanpakutou and it blade began to glow a sinister red.

"THIS ENDS NOW! BITE VIBORA!"

The arrancar's white jacket was ripped to shreds as three long appendages burst from his back, white scales forming along the exposed parts of his body, his eyes turning blood red. A hissing filled the air as the new limbs were revealed to be seven foot long snakes sprouting from his shoulders; venom dripping from their fangs burned the ground where it fell.

"You ryoka are the first to see this form, you should feel honored. And you should also know the name of the one who kills you; I am Jaeger Serpentia, Uno Cuchilo of Aizen-sama!"

Chad stepped into the fight, both of his arms transforming, he would need his full power in order to protect Tatsuki. Likewise, Tatsuki assumed her silver armor and wings, her azure reiatsu already charging into the clawed gauntlets and boots.

"This isn't going to be easy is it Sado-san?"

"No."

Almost faster than they could see, Jaeger charged, his sonido putting him behind the two fighters. Tatsuki and Chad barely managed to dodge the three pronged attack of Jaeger's snakes, his fists and feet were another matter, combination blows hit both warriors and slammed them in opposite directions. Quickly, they jumped to their feet and rushed the arrancar and the resulting clash sent all three into the air, reiatsu bursts flying in all directions.

In the confusion, Jaeger saw his chance. Laughing, he lashed out with two of his snakes as they landed, letting them sink their fangs deep into Chad's right arm. The acidic venom quickly went to work, burning the inside of Chad's arm. With a grunt, Chad collapsed in a heap the pain overwhelming him. Suddenly, Jaeger's laugh ended with a cry of pain. He looked around just in time to watch Tatsuki rip his third snake from his shoulder, his blood spraying from the hideous wound it left behind.

"Laugh it up, asshole."

Despite the bleeding, Jaeger was more than ready to keep fighting, yet he was more cautious now, this human girl was too good to be underestimated.

"If you're not gonna make a move, then I'm going to end this." Tatsuki channeled her reiatsu into her right hand willing it along all four of her claws. She charged, feinted left and then struck the surprised arrancar. Jaeger felt no pain. He began to laugh.

"What a pathetic attack! You didn't even touch-"

Jaeger never finished his sentence. Four parallel, azure lines appeared across his body from stomach to face, then the blades formed splitting the arrancar into four pieces as he faded away into nothing.

Sighing in relief, Tatsuki turned to check on Chad, when suddenly she felt a huge reiatsu hurtling towards her. She turned around, ready to fight when Ichigo landed in front of her. His eyes betrayed the shock he felt and Tatsuki almost laughed, he didn't normally show his emotions so clearly.

"Wha-, how, when?"

"Umm, surprise?"

_**A/N: **_Cuchilo means knife or dagger in spanish. For the purposes of this story they are Aizen's stealth force. RnR please let me know what you think. Til next time.

16Fangs


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